The Good Place - What is it like to be a Good Human?
The Good Place is a series I watched upon a friend's repeated recommendation. So after having seen all 4 seasons of it, I'm really glad I did, because this is a great show.
We follow the journey of Eleanor, a self centred human being, who reaches "The Good Place" after her death. The series takes off from there, follows her adventures with the friends she makes along the episodes, and how she grows as a person.
I'm not going to be spoiling much in terms of plot, because I suggest going in to watch this series blind. But one of the best things about this show is how much it focuses on character. Every episode, we learn more about either the main character or supporting character, and this progresses not only the plot, but also makes us care about each one of them. (Chidi and Michael are my favourites)
The location itself plays a part in exposing the flaws of the characters, the situations they're in, and force them to confront their each individual insecurities. For example, Eleanor's flaw is her selfishness, but we also learn eventually the root cause for this selfishness, and it's a sympathetic one.
'Chidi' (another character) has to suffer consequences for his flaw for being extremely indecisiveness. Tahani worries too much about what others think of her. But this stems from bad parenting and being the least loved child. Now, the way these insecurities are explored are a little too exaggerated, but you get used to it, and begin to believe in them.
Twists happen, and it often suits the story. But they didn't really make my jaw drop, because the severity of the twist was never felt. Because the tone of the series is mainly comedic. But despite that, the comedy really works. Often times, the comedic timing of a joke is accentuated by the small intro which abruptly appears. Many times the lines written are extremely funny, and many times the character's reactions to the absurdity around them, not only grounds the situation, but also makes it extremely funny.
Now, the show isn't without its faults. One major flaw of the series is that it feels stretched. Each season isn't it's own individual story. Instead, all the 4 seasons are one complete story, so you might understand as to how that can make the story feel long. Many times, the conflict introduced in a particular episode does feel tiring because I know that this is going to span for quite a while. Sometimes an episode felt unnecessary, and I wished the story would get over quicker.
One more issue is the entangling of all the romantic sub plots. Characters fall in love, fall out of it, and then fall in love again. The romantic sub plots weren't all bad. I believed most of them, and in the final season, I found myself moved by one romantic couple. And there's one comedic relief character who I found extremely annoying, but surprisingly found myself caring about him a tad bit near the end.
But despite all of this, The Good Place is a show that explores many themes. What it is to be a good person, our intentions behind our acts of kindness, overcoming our individual insecurities, and what it's like to be human. It's all about learning, making mistakes and trying again and again, only to, one day, be successful at it, and feel joy. It made me care extremely about it's characters, which is the main reason I kept watching every season. This is a show that is worth your time, and I'm very happy I saw it.
Thank Your for Reading
I hope you liked this blog review, please make sure to comment about your thoughts on the film, or on how I could possibly improve. Also follow my YouTube Channel "Detox with P-Talks Official" where I analyse movies and do other movie related content along with short films, etc.
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